Another day in Paris...

We visited Louvre the next day and I wasn't really into it, in fact I didn't want to go at all.... but I made the mistake of vehemently declaring to my brother that I had no intention of seeing Louvre, and because of that he did the exact opposite. If I had been cool and mumbled a 'whatever', that sibling trait of doing the exact opposite wouldn't have risen in him. Anyway, the Louvre is pretty interesting if you are into that sort of thing like standing and looking at paintings and sculptures. I would prefer to be immersed in nature than in a museum with other tourists going crazy over the Mona Lisa. What's the deal with that painting anyway... everybody was going gaga over it, and I tried to stay away from the crowd. But my brother was like until you get a proper picture of the Mona Lisa, we are not leaving this place... yeah, never a boring moment when hanging out with the siblings. 

From inside the glass pyramid.... 

 Inside the Louvre...

Here she is, the most famous painting in the Louvre. The next statue with a hole in the butt is pretty funny. And the next two pictures depict the ornately gilded ceiling... 

A few paintings of biblical scenes...

I actually liked the paintings of the naked human form with all its contours and rippling muscles... 

Ancient Grecian urns... 

After the Louvre, we were walking around looking for a nice place to have lunch when these two great looking cops skated past us and I had to whip out my camera before I lost them. Even cops here are super fit and extremely handsome... most of the people in France are slim and fit. I liked that about them, I can't say that they take good care of their health, cause many of them smoke like chimneys... but on the whole they do seem effortlessly slim.

So after lunch, we asked the guy at the restaurant if there were any churches nearby... he didn't understand English, so we put the sign of the cross and looked up in prayer, and he started grinning. He said there was a really beautiful church nearby, he kissed his fingertips and kept saying 'Magnifique, Magnifique'... so we smiled, said our merci's and started on our way when he called us back and said 'Pray for me also huh', how enchanting is he. The above collage shows the interior of the church he was referring to, Saint Eustache, you might wanna click on the picture for a larger view.

Then we visited another famous landmark in Paris, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, otherwise known as the Sacred Heart Basilica. And this is how it looks as you exit the subway, it's situated at the highest point in Paris on a hill and the walk up is quite daunting. Your feet is bound to ache and tempers will run high, and the weather didn't make it any easy, it was really hot in Paris... plus the road that leads to this place is rather shady, with questionable characters milling around. You gotta be wary of pickpockets, gypsies, young girls with clipboards asking you to sign something and hawkers ferociously peddling their wares, just ignore them politely and keep walking ahead. It was no big deal for us actually, it felt like everyday life in any metropolitan city in India. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so if you wanna see the interior of this church do check the above wiki link. There is a nice religious store inside the basilica selling some really pretty things. As you exit the church, you see the whole of Paris stretched out below you...

 There are many street performers around, and this guy was doing some dare devilry stunts just outside the basilica...

After a long and tiring day this is how the guys would unwind, with beer... in a quaint little pub near the hotel we were staying at. Me and Nam took a few sips and started exploring the locality, I seriously think girls make better travel companions than boys. My sister would gladly accompany me during early morning and late evening walks while the boys would refuse to budge unless food was involved.  

Next post will be about an interesting flea market and the Eiffel tower at night...